Jason McAteer reckons the arrival of Patrick Mboma has been like a breath of fresh air for Sunderland.

Jason McAteer reckons the arrival of Patrick Mboma has been like a breath of fresh air for Sunderland.

The Cameroon international striker has only played three games for the Black Cats since moving to England on loan from Italian Serie A side Parma.

But Irish star McAteer believes he has already proved to be a world class player.

The 31-year-old made his debut as a substitute in the Tyne-Wear derby a fortnight ago and scored his first Premiership goal in the 2-1 defeat at Spurs last week.

McAteer has been hugely impressed with the powerful frontman and he believes the former Metz and Paris St Germain star would be a great addition to the Sunderland squad if Peter Reid decides to make the move permanent at the end of the season.

He said: "Patrick Mboma has been like a breath of fresh air since he arrived.

"He has made a big difference on and off the pitch.

"Patrick offers us more options and allows us to play a slightly different game going forward and that has been a huge bonus for us."